Silence of Noise

Silence of Noise

In grief, dichotomies are ever present. The series, “Silence of Noise,” speaks to this. Grief can be all consuming and the silence can be deafening. All one often thinks of in this silent reclusive state is their loved one, and all one feels is the pain of their loss and the relief that comes with knowing that their beloved is no longer suffering. One craves distraction and noise to disrupt the fixation...only to realize that noise is the silence. One finds solace and ease in common space yet seeks anonymity. “Silence of Noise” captures this wrestle: the noise of the mourner’s silence is deafening and the pain from within is debilitating; yet, the noise of the outside world feels equally superfluous.

In nature, snow absorbs both noise and silence. “Silence of Noise” was shot with this in mind, amongst the buffering snow and amidst the changing environment. Is it the viewer that is in this place or is the viewer the one looking in? The figures in the frames are present in the surroundings and yet there appears to be a buffer or disconnect between the figures and the nature and noise around them…maybe they are the bereaved? As one re-enters common space and attempts to walk amongst the living, the banter and buffered surroundings often feel muted, as if muffled by the snow. One longs to blend in but swerves away from any form of focused attention. Others delicately pace around the mourner with nervous wonder while the mourner feels out of place and fears being truly seen. One is neither here, nor there…coexisting in two worlds— the world of the living and the womb of one’s grief.